Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to post. Not a lot and not while I was on vacation, but I'd post a few photos when we got back from a trip. But eventually it started to feel like bragging. Now I only share photos with friends and family over texts, usually pics of my kid different places, sometimes a family photo on a beach or in another cool location. Just family and our closest friends -- I feel positive none of them view it as bragging or "look where WE went." They want to see the photos. Sometimes if I don't send, they'll text "send pics!" because they know we are traveling and want to know what we are up to.

I think posting to social media might be well intentioned (and also might not be) but the impact is not great. People scroll social media when they are bored at work, or when they are trying to turn their brains off before bed. It's not healthy, but we do it. And I don't think that's the right mindset to feel happy for someone that they had a nice vacation. I have seen plenty of vacation photos on social media where I absolutely was happy for them and happy to see them having fun. But I will admit to situations when I felt resentful or annoyed. I get that's on me, not them, but I never feel that way about texted photos, because when someone texts a photo, it feels personal and not like they are showing off or trying to impress you.

So that's why I stopped and just text photos now. If we took a really epic trip, I might post one photo to social media after we got home. We'll see. As a rule I never post while I'm on vacation because I want to enjoy my vacation and generally avoid SM altogether when traveling. I want to feel present.

Why not?

PP here. I just think a lot of people (myself included) have unhealthy relationships with their phones, and with social media generally. I think people use it as a way to numb themselves from stuff that is bothering them (unhappiness with work, challenges with family, etc.). I also know social media apps are designed to encourage addiction, to get you to post/like/comment in pursuit of that dopamine hit you get when someone likes what you posted or responds to what you said. Some people may not experience this; I didn't initially. But eventually I noticed that this was part of my social media experience. Seeing it written about and discussed in documentaries helped me to understand it.

So I think a lot (maybe most?) people are in that mindset when they are on social media -- they are using it as a vice, like alcohol, to numb themselves from things they don't want to think about, or they are engaging in an addictive behavior that the apps have trained them to engage in. And I think that's not an ideal mindset to have when viewing your friend's happy vacation photos. Maybe you think "oh cool pic, they look happy [like]." I do that. But also maybe they think "everyone is having fun without me" or "everyone travels and our family never does anything cool" or "they look so happy and DH and I are arguing or my kids are struggling with school." Notice none of these are actually critical thoughts about the people who posted. But I think if you are on social media due to addictive behavior (which many, many people are) those pictures are as likely to harm you as to make you happy. And even when they make you happy, is it just feeding the addiction to the social media dopamine hit and making you more likely to spend more time staring at your phone screen?

Just, the more I learn about social media and it's impact on me and on others, the less I want to participate. My kids are too young for phones or social media but increasingly I want to be totally off it before they are old enough. I want to contribute to a society where there is less of this. I don't think it's healthy.

I can frame great vacation photos or stick them in an album or even text them to my best friends and feel confident none of those things are making people unhappy. I don't feel that way about social media. so I try to avoid it.

Anonymous wrote:Sharing pics on social is also for yourself. You get reminded in subsequent years with those photos.

Anonymous wrote:Sharing pics on social is also for yourself. You get reminded in subsequent years with those photos.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love seeing photos from friends. I do post photos on social media.

I have to admit that watching Bling Ring on how people robbed Paris Hilton's house based on social media postings made me feel more tentative about posting photos. But I only post on Facebook.

I know this bothers some and makes them jealous. But they can block me if they don't want to see it.

I love seeing photos from places I'll never make it to. So fun.

Jealous? No. But posting travel photos on social media can make you a mockery.

Wow. You sound mean. I don't mock my friends.

You are receiving yourself. We all do that. But I will plaster on a smile when I see you in the car pool line and chuckle under my breath about your trip to the Amalfi Coast or USVI or wherever. And I’m not alone.

This is really unhinged behavior.

If someone posts a couple stories or photos of a trip, I enjoy seeing their adventures and feel happy for the person. Like a different PP said, it sometimes gives me good ideas for future trips and it's an easy conversation starter the next time you see the person. If they post an album a day, I scroll on by and don't go through it - but I can't imagine laughing at someone for sharing a trip.

It's patently obvious that pp has a serious character defect.

Nah. A serious character defect is expecting others to care about our trips. It’s called narcissism, and clearly you (and the other travel instagrammers on here) have it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to post. Not a lot and not while I was on vacation, but I'd post a few photos when we got back from a trip. But eventually it started to feel like bragging. Now I only share photos with friends and family over texts, usually pics of my kid different places, sometimes a family photo on a beach or in another cool location. Just family and our closest friends -- I feel positive none of them view it as bragging or "look where WE went." They want to see the photos. Sometimes if I don't send, they'll text "send pics!" because they know we are traveling and want to know what we are up to.

I think posting to social media might be well intentioned (and also might not be) but the impact is not great. People scroll social media when they are bored at work, or when they are trying to turn their brains off before bed. It's not healthy, but we do it. And I don't think that's the right mindset to feel happy for someone that they had a nice vacation. I have seen plenty of vacation photos on social media where I absolutely was happy for them and happy to see them having fun. But I will admit to situations when I felt resentful or annoyed. I get that's on me, not them, but I never feel that way about texted photos, because when someone texts a photo, it feels personal and not like they are showing off or trying to impress you.

So that's why I stopped and just text photos now. If we took a really epic trip, I might post one photo to social media after we got home. We'll see. As a rule I never post while I'm on vacation because I want to enjoy my vacation and generally avoid SM altogether when traveling. I want to feel present.

Why not?

Anonymous wrote:I used to post. Not a lot and not while I was on vacation, but I'd post a few photos when we got back from a trip. But eventually it started to feel like bragging. Now I only share photos with friends and family over texts, usually pics of my kid different places, sometimes a family photo on a beach or in another cool location. Just family and our closest friends -- I feel positive none of them view it as bragging or "look where WE went." They want to see the photos. Sometimes if I don't send, they'll text "send pics!" because they know we are traveling and want to know what we are up to.

I think posting to social media might be well intentioned (and also might not be) but the impact is not great. People scroll social media when they are bored at work, or when they are trying to turn their brains off before bed. It's not healthy, but we do it. And I don't think that's the right mindset to feel happy for someone that they had a nice vacation. I have seen plenty of vacation photos on social media where I absolutely was happy for them and happy to see them having fun. But I will admit to situations when I felt resentful or annoyed. I get that's on me, not them, but I never feel that way about texted photos, because when someone texts a photo, it feels personal and not like they are showing off or trying to impress you.

So that's why I stopped and just text photos now. If we took a really epic trip, I might post one photo to social media after we got home. We'll see. As a rule I never post while I'm on vacation because I want to enjoy my vacation and generally avoid SM altogether when traveling. I want to feel present.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are those opposed to posting travel pics on private social media accounts generally anti social media altogether? Is it "gauche" to you all to post about any accomplishment, success (again, I mean on a private account presumably consisting of your family and friends)? If not, what do you post on social media? A SMALL handful of pics posted upon return from a fun/joyful/beautiful trip are honestly more interesting and pleasant to view than like 95% of what I see.

Sharing what you're up to and what's going on in your life WITH YOUR FRIENDS is actually ok -- it doesn't make you a raging narcissist. Just reciprocate, show interest in your friends. That's ... being social.

So it’s ok to for you to judge 95% of what your family and friends post, but not for us to judge what you do? You’re the only one doing it right, I guess.

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is nuts.

I usually post a small number of pictures when we're back home. I like seeing friends' travel pics. Sometimes they give me ideas of where I'd like to go. Sometimes I just like seeing pictures of different places. Nothing deeper than that!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love seeing photos from friends. I do post photos on social media.

I have to admit that watching Bling Ring on how people robbed Paris Hilton's house based on social media postings made me feel more tentative about posting photos. But I only post on Facebook.

I know this bothers some and makes them jealous. But they can block me if they don't want to see it.

I love seeing photos from places I'll never make it to. So fun.

Jealous? No. But posting travel photos on social media can make you a mockery.

Wow. You sound mean. I don't mock my friends.

You are receiving yourself. We all do that. But I will plaster on a smile when I see you in the car pool line and chuckle under my breath about your trip to the Amalfi Coast or USVI or wherever. And I’m not alone.

Anonymous wrote:Are those opposed to posting travel pics on private social media accounts generally anti social media altogether? Is it "gauche" to you all to post about any accomplishment, success (again, I mean on a private account presumably consisting of your family and friends)? If not, what do you post on social media? A SMALL handful of pics posted upon return from a fun/joyful/beautiful trip are honestly more interesting and pleasant to view than like 95% of what I see.

Sharing what you're up to and what's going on in your life WITH YOUR FRIENDS is actually ok -- it doesn't make you a raging narcissist. Just reciprocate, show interest in your friends. That's ... being social.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t use social media at all. All of it seems braggy to me, sorry. And it changes your travel experience to be frequently thinking “here’s a nice image to post on social media”. You can’t really be in the moment if that is your mindset. Try doing a trip without taking any photos and see how different that feels.

This is so true. I stopped posting anything at all on social media a few years ago and one of the biggest reasons was it was affecting the way I was thinking about things while I was supposed to be away, relaxing and spending quality time with my family. It is so much more enjoyable to remove social media from the experience. When/if you actually do that, some if you might realize that really were just attempting to brag and show your life in a way that isn’t necessarily genuine.

That’s a very negative way of thinking. While it might apply to some people and their motivation, I don’t think it applies to me and my circle.

I value and appreciate making memories—particularly with my family and friends. Pictures play an important role in that. My spouse’s parents never took pictures, and they regret it. I certainly am not trying to curate a fake image or brag. Rather, I try to make sure I capture some candid shots along with the obligatory tourist pics.

I love storing my pics on FB. I rarely dump all them. Rather, I select the best ones so I can pull them when I’m ready to print. My family and friends seem to enjoy seeing them, and folks often reach out to ask about our trip (often looking for tips on their own travel).

Assuming people are bragging or creating a false narrative is really strange approach to life.

If you can’t see that a lot of people do this on social media, then I don’t even know what to tell you.